Related Articles

If you’re bummed that the Alleyway’s production of “A Christmas Carol” is sold out, don’t sweat it. Theaters across Western New York are in full-on holiday mode. Here’s a look at some of the holiday productions, from an inner-city spin on “A Christmas Carol” to a one-night puppet show about a tiny snow monster:

“Christmas is Comin’ Uptown,” 7 p.m. today through Dec. 16 in the Paul Robeson Theatre’s home in the African American Cultural Center (350 Masten Ave., 884-2013); tickets are $20 to $27.50.

In this adaptation of “A Christmas Carol,” Scrooge is not a London banker, but a Harlem slumlord who’s getting ready to foreclose on a community center before a trio of ghosts arrive to tell him what’s what. The cast is largely young students from the African American Cultural Center’s Theatre Arts Program under the direction of PRT Artistic Director Paulette Harris.

“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” through Dec. 16 in separate productions at Theatre of Youth (203 Allen St., 884-4400) and the Lancaster Opera House (21 Central Ave., Lancaster, 683-1776). Theatre of Youth tickets are $24 to $26; Lancaster Opera House tickets are $13 to $20.

It’s a testament to the popularity of this holiday children’s theater standby that two local theaters are taking up productions of this adaptation of Barbara Robinson’s popular 1971 book. It tells the story of the out-of-control Herdman children, who enter a church seeking free snacks and inadvertently become a part of a Christmas pageant – much to the initial annoyance of the other children. It’s a great showcase for aspiring young actors, of whom there will be many in both productions.

Here’s the tantalizing Facebook description of this new production from local puppeteer Adam Kreutenger (of “Avenue Q” fame), along with Maria Droz, Zach Haumesser and Cameron Garrity: “A village of snow monsters, high atop a mountain, hold a yearly winter Olympics. But the games can’t start this year, because the littlest snow monster has gone missing.”

This show, the brainchild of Western New York native and Broadway veteran Jeffry Denman and his collaborator Marc Kudisch, workshopped last year at MusicalFare and is coming back in completed form. The 75-minute musical comedy is a blend of Christian and Jewish traditions – not to mention varying styles of song and dance – that seeks to bring people of every faith together during the holiday season.

Also playing:

“The Eight Reindeer Monologues,” presented by the Francis Bacon Experiment through Saturday in the Wasteland Theatre (700 Main St., 348-2005); $15 to $20.

“Four Tickets to Christmas,” a dinner theater production presented by Family Life Ministries through Saturday at Michael’s (4885 Southwestern Blvd., Hamburg, 800-927-9083, or www.fln.org/tickets); $37.50.